10 Best Late Career Runs In Wrestling History
5. Eddie Guerrero (2002-2005)
He was always a tremendous professional wrestler, but Eddie Guerrero’s stardom didn’t peak until his last few years. Whether working in Mexico, Japan, or WCW’s Cruiserweight division, Eddie built an incredible reputation throughout the ‘90s, and transitioned to WWE as part of the Radicalz in 2000. Unfortunately, his first run came to an abrupt end in November 2001, when the troubled star was arrested for drunk driving, then promptly released from his contract.
Guerrero confronted his personal demons head-on, however, and after cleaning himself up on the independent circuit, Eddie returned in April 2002. A strong midcard run followed, and after a while, ‘Latino Heat’ was one of WWE’s most popular wrestlers. He’d absolutely mastered his character by this point, and his relateable backstory made it easy for the fans to get behind him as he surged towards the WWE Championship in 2004.
Eddie scored the biggest win of his career by defeating Brock Lesnar for the gold that February. It was one of the most cathartic moments in WWE history, and elation poured from every corner of the arena as Guerrero celebrated his first world title win. Tragically, Eddie passed away just 21 months later, and a second title run never materialised.